Lighting is often overlooked when it comes to interior design as people feel lights are all about illuminating a room and nothing more. But there’s more to lighting fixtures than just illuminating spaces. Lighting fixtures can be used as excellent interior décor items provided you have the knowledge of choosing the right shape and form of the fixtures. Also, there are different types of lighting schemes for different spaces in a residential setup.
Considering contemporary houses, lighting becomes much more important as lights are an important element of this interior design theme. Lights are used to create ambient atmospheres and also used as decorative items to draw attention. In this article we will list out different ways contemporary lighting can be used to illuminate residential interiors. Read on.
1. A Decorative Pendant
Pendants are very similar to chandeliers in their appearance but are not as grand as lavish as chandeliers are. Pendants are task lights you can hang upon kitchen islands or dining tables using a suspended chain. What’s unique about pendants is that they can be custom made and given shapes of your imagination. Not only they draw attention by their task lighting, they also look great as décor items blending with other décor items of a contemporary house.
2. Wall Sconces
Wall sconces are one of the most used contemporary lighting techniques. Wall sconces can be used anywhere in a residential setup but they are popularly used in bedrooms and bathrooms. Wall sconces come under the general/ambient lighting category and can either be up-lights or down-lights. Wall sconces are very minimal unlike pendants and are generally used to create an ambience in the room.
3. Table/Floor Lamps
The good old table lamps and floor lamps are used in contemporary houses as well. However, the design and form of these fixtures decides whether they are modern or not. The lamps need to be sleek, minimalistic and perfectly blend into a contemporary setting. Floor lamps or table lamps too come under task lighting and can be used to highlight certain corners of a room or certain empty spaces you don’t know what to do with. When corners are illuminated with these lamps, the room looks fuller and distracts the viewer from the empty space the lamp is covering for.
4. A Traditional Light
Imperfections or oddity is beautiful in a perfect setup, immediately attracting attention and bringing in a spice of life to the whole space. In a contemporary residential interior, it would be very interesting to have a traditional lighting fixture like that resembles the lights used in the 18th and 19th centuries. These light fixtures will oddly beautiful in a contemporary setup that is all about minimalism and bland colors.
5. Flush Mounts
Lastly, to create an ambient atmosphere of your choice and color, you can use the subtle flush mounts which are generally mounted on the ceilings. These fixtures are totally non-obtrusive and play with only lights to create an ambience. Their appearance is not generally a concern, however it must be ensured that they are perfectly syncing with the ceiling to avoid any unwanted attention.